Embrace Shower Indulgence with Our Luxurious Bubble Scrub Bars

In a world brimming with decadent bath products, the joy of indulging in a long, relaxing soak is a luxury many of us crave. But what about those moments when time is short or, heaven forbid, you only have a shower, and the thought of sinking into a tub feels out of reach? For many, including myself, this dilemma strikes a chord all too close to home. 

Enter our over-the-top Bubble Scrub bars - a game changer in the world of shower indulgence. Born out of a desire for luscious products that offer gentle cleansing, abundant later, and irresistably scented skin, these bars embody the essence of shower luxury.

What sets these bars apart is their ability to deliver a multi-sensory experience reminiscent of a lavish bath. With each use, they unleash a symphony of fizz, moisture, and exfoliation, transforming your shower into a sanctuary of self-care.

Crafted with care and infused with skin-loving ingredients like cocoa and shea butters, soothing oatmeal, and herbs, these bars offer more than just a cleanse. They envelope your skin in a cocoon of hydration, leaving it soft, supple, and delicately scented.

Perhaps the true magic, though, lies in their versatility. Thanks to the addition of emulsifying wax, these bars effortlessly transition from exfoliator to moisturizer, creating a rich bubbly lotion when applied to wet skin. Say goodbye to slippery tubs and hello to a shower experience like no other.

So, whether you're seeking a moment of relaxation amidst a busy day or simply craving a touch of indulgence, our Bubble Scrub bars are here to elevate your shower routine. Embrace the joy of showering in luxury and treat yourself to a sensory experience that's sure to leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Indulge in the extraordinary with affordable luxury.

2024

Another market year has ended and a new one will be beginning soon. 2023 wasn't a great year as far as sales went but I know that times aren't easy for most people right now. Costs, including mine, are rising, causing increases in pretty much everything. It sucks. Hard. 

I have no intention of making this a depressing post. I can't do much about prices of supplies; I can, however, continue to make the best products I know how to make. I've decided that I will probably cut back on a few things so you may see fewer products on my table this year. 

What, you ask, will disappear? Well, my liquid soaps really didn't overwhelm so I think they'll be going on sale until they're gone. I may make some for personal use but that's about it. 

What else? Surprisingly, lip gloss. 

Yes, I said "surprisingly". I truly thought they'd be more popular than they were. By the end of 2023, I had quite a few left over even though they're a great product (I'm not a lip gloss person and I really like these!). I won't be making any more this year. Again, they'll be on clearance once the market season starts up again. 

I'm sure there will be other products we'll be thinking twice about. That said, if you have a favourite product you can't live without, let us know. We're more than happy to make custom orders. 

What can you expect to see on our tables this season? Well, soaps, of course. We're already busy making soap every weekend to get our table fully stocked. We've got some amazing new fragrances that we'll be using in soaps as well as hand/body lotions. Match a soap and a lotion for a perfect quick gift! 

Facial products have been very popular so we'll be bringing back our Instant Facials, as well as a few of our other popular face care products. If you haven't seen, or tried, the Instant Facials, you're in for a real treat! It's not a clay mask; it's more like a cleansing balm that turns into a thick, rich cream with the addition of water. Ingredients are added to turn this cream into a gorgeous, skin-loving mask that rinses off cleanly with water, leaving your skin feeling revitalized and pampered. There will be two or three varieties available; they sold out last year so you don't want to miss out!

Another popular item we'll continue making is our lip balm (as opposed to lip gloss). We have two recipes and both continue to be very popular; we won't stop making them. Our regular lip balm comes in a variety of flavours, including peppermint, orange sherbet, chocolate, and more. We've been using the same base recipe for over 20 years. Why fix what ain't broke?

Our Nourishing Nighttime Lip Masque has become a customer fave over the past couple of years. It's a rich, thick lip balm that sticks to your lips, made with the addition of lanolin and castor oil, helping keep your lips moisturized all night. Most people who use it, though, swear by it as an everyday lip balm that actually works! Me included.

I'm really looking forward to our 2024 season and I look forward to seeing all our new and usual customers. Our first market of the season is the All You Need Is Love market on February 11 at the East Kelowna Market. See you there!

Meanwhile, over on Instagram...

I've never been afraid of the computer and anything related so, when ChatGPT arrived, I was more than happy to dip my toes into the AI pool. I've watched You Tube videos about the app and I've learned a lot. I'm also a Canva Pro user and, using the two together has completely changed my use of both.

Using the two together, I've created a couple of series of posts, 10 posts each. The first series is a "Did You Know?" series about things you might not know about soapmaking and soapmakers. 

The second series features Ingredient Spotlights of ten ingredients commonly used in the skin care industry. 

I had a lot of fun creating both series and am looking forward to creating more of these educational and, hopefully, fun posts. Let me know what you think!

Oh right! Do you follow us on Instagram? You can find us here.... MMSoapery

New Product Alert - Rosehip Seed Gel Eye Cream

This is one product I'm really excited about! Our newest product is Rosehip Seed Gel Eye Cream and it is truly special.

This silky gel cream is the perfect blend of gel and cream; it goes on like silk and soaks in quickly. It's made with Rosehip Seed Oil, often regarded as the "oil of youth". Rosehip Seed oil is classified as a "dry oil" due to its thin consistency, which allows it to be easily absorbed without leaving an oily residue on the skin's surface.

It also includes Hyaluronic Acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body that is responsible for maintaining skin hydration and plumpness. When used in skin care products, it can help to boost moisture levels in the skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improve overall skin texture and radiance. Hyaluronic acid is also gentle enough to use on all skin types, making it a versatile ingredient in any skincare routine. By incorporating hyaluronic acid into your daily regimen, you can achieve a more youthful, hydrated, and glowing complexion.

It's also made with the addition of Caffeine extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), and Allantoin, all carefully blended to create a decadent gel eye cream that soaks in quickly and does what it's meant to do.

This truly is a luxrious product and, as always, at an affordable price.

Overnight Lip Masque

I love me a good lip balm but one thing I love even more is a lip masque that is rich and sticky enough to last all night. Ingredients like castor oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and shea butter are great ingredients for an effective lip masque but if it could have hyaluronic acid added to help combat and minimize those stubborn little wrinkles and lines that develop as we age, it would be even better!

One issue is that hyaluronic acid is water soluble, not oil soluble and lip balms are, generally speaking anhydrous (they don't contain water). 

This little tube of lip balm has become one of our bestsellers and, apart from containing all the beautiful oils listed above, it's made with an oil soluble form of hyaluronic acid!

This rich, lovely lip balm is perfect for night time application as it sticks and lasts, helping to keep your lips soft and supple throughout the night. Personally, it's my favourite lip balm for day or night... hands down! I've already noticed that those little lip lines are diminishing with regular use.

It's lightly flavoured/scented with just enough peppermint essential oil to provide a bit of a tingle without drying out your lips. 

 

New Product Alert - Bakuchiol Hydrating Serum

In looking back at previous posts, I'm not sure I've ever posted about some of our newer products. One that I'm very proud of is our Hyaluronic Acid Serum, made with Vitamins B3 and B5. Our newest version is made with a new to us ingredient, Bakuchiol extract.

Bakuchiol Extracted is extracted from the seeds of a plant native to India and Sri Lanka. Although it is a relatively new ingredient for the skin care industry, Bakuchiol has been a staple in the Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic medicine for centuries.

It is considered a natural alternative to retinol because it functions similarly in a skin care regimen. However, it is not considered a retinoid or a part of the retinol family because it has a different chemical structure than that of retinol.

Therefore, Bakuchiol offeres many of the same skin care benefits as retinol without causing irritation or dryness. Bakuchiol is also believed to be gentle enough for daytime and nighttie wear and is suitable for use on all skin types.

More Adventures in Liquid Soapmaking

I'm having so much fun making liquid soaps! I've lost count of how many variations I've tried so far. Some haven't worked out as planned and were made to disappear but most have been very successful. I've got the process down now and each batch takes about three quarters of an hour, from start to finish. 

Once made, it needs to cool overnight; we let it sit for about a week just to mellow out a bit. That gives me plenty of time to plan fragrances and additions. 

Here are a few that came with us to our last market, this past Sunday.

From left to right: Cactus & Sea Salt, Golden Sunflower, and Cucumber Melon

Champaka Hemp

All are available in either a pump bottle or a regular bottle that you can use to fill your own pump dispenser or foamer bottle. There's a fragrance for everyone, from fruity (Apple Mango Tango) to hippy (Champaka Hemp) to medicinal (Tea Tree & Lavender Charcoal) to fresh (Cactus & Sea Salt). 

Transparent Soap - Let's Try Again

One thing I've often been told since I was a child is that I'm pretty stubborn. I certainly can be, especially when it comes to getting things to my own expectations. That can certainly be said for the transparent soap. I couldn't just make it once and let it go if it wasn't perfect.

So, I tried it again.

And, this time, it worked perfectly! The thrill of walking into my soap room to see if I could unmold the soap and finding it clear made me a little giddy. 

Here's the first one, so you can see the difference. 

As much as I enjoyed making this soap, I don't think it's one I'll make all the time. Don't get me wrong - it's a lovely soap but it isn't the cheapest to make and even though it can be used as a melt & pour soap, it seems to have a pretty low melting point that isn't conducive to a lot of creativity. I'll likely use it to make some fun little soaps for the next market and for some special occasions but it won't be a regular item in my booth.

Liquid Soap - Round How Many??

I've been making bar soap for quite a while, 10 years or so now. I've tried making liquid soap before but was never happy with the results and didn't like the process. It can take up to a week the way I used to make it.... when I made it. In addition, there was something about the scent of the raw soap that I just didn't like. 

When I found the Ultimate Guide to Liquid Soapmaking, it became a game changer! I'm not trying to advertise the book, I'm just so impressed with the book and the resulting soap. 

The photo shows three of the soaps I made within the past couple of weeks. All are made with animal fats (lard, tallow, and emu) and all are amazing.

And then, there's this one. Talk about dramatic!! This is Charcoal Tea Tree & Lavender liquid soap. It smells amazing and lathers beautifully. 

One thing I will need to remind customers is that hand crafted liquid soaps are quite concentrated. As little as 2-3 drops is enough to wash your hands. To get an idea of how liquid soaps can be used, check out this web page from Dr. Bronners liquid soap.

Adventures in Liquid Soap - part 2

 Maybe I should call this post Part 2, 3, 4, 5.... I think you get the idea, right? Yep, I've been experimenting with liquid soap. Just today, I made this one:

It's so beautifully clear that I had to take a picture in the bit of sunshine we had today. It's made with a combination of beef tallow, olive, and canola oils and is a single lye (KOH) soap. I'm so thrilled with this one. The only thing that concerns me now is how will a fragrance oil affect it? Will it stay as clear as it is now, or will it go cloudy?

Then there's this one. It's a very nice soap but look at how cloudy it is. This one frustrates me but I have a feeling I know what it might be, leftover saponifiables. I made this one a few days ago; earlier today, I made a 25% KOH solution and added a few tablespoons of that solution. It seems to be helping with clarifying it. It's a Honey & Almond soap. The lather is beautiful but it looks rather disgusting as is. I hope I can get it cleared up because it really is a nice soap.

Right now, I have six batches of soap almost ready for bottling, or sampling. I have enough liquid soap to last me a lifetime! I need more friends willing to be testers. 

Adventures in Liquid Soap

I've made liquid soap in the past and, I have to say, I was underwhelmed. It was a time-consuming process. First, you make the base paste. That can take a few hours. Then you need to hydrate (dilute) the paste in water; that can take days. 

I'm not that patient. 

Recently, I joined a couple of Facebook groups that specialize in liquid soap making and someone suggested a liquid soapmaking course book. I thought about it for about two minutes and made the decision to invest in the book and have been working my way through it over the past few days. 

Basically, there are three different methods for making liquid soap; first is the Cold Process Liquid Soap. In this method, you create your paste and let it sit, with no external heat, until the paste is formed. Then, the dilution water is added and it is allowed to hydrate over time. It can take a couple of days to a couple of weeks. It's a lot of hands off time and, if you're patient, it's a great method. I, however, am not that patient. 

The second method is the Low Temperature Liquid Soap; in this method, a crockpot at a low temperature is used. It's a good method but the dilution can still take time. And, again, I'm not that patient.

You know where this is going, right?

The third method is the High Temperature Liquid Soap; with this method, a batch of liquid soap can be finished, from start to final dilution, in about half an hour. Sign me up! 

I decided, in the interest of education, to make my way through all three processes. I made a batch of CPLS Castile Soap. It's in a bucket, resting until my order of pump bottles arrives. It was pretty easy to make but the entire process took a couple of days to complete. The second batch I made is the LTLS, Palm Olive liquid soap. I probably did something wrong in the process because, after about 3 days, it's still diluting. I've been adding extra water and waiting for it to absorb. Once fully diluted, it will be a very nice soap if the initial testing is any indication. It's just taking way too long.

Then, yesterday, I decided to try the 30-minute High Temperature recipe. Wow! I am hooked!

Following a recipe in the book, I made a Tea Tree & Lavender Charcoal liquid soap. This soap is intriguing. It's pitch black! The lather is amazing and the scent of Tea Tree and Lavender smells somewhat medicinal but also kind of comforting. I never thought I'd like a black liquid soap, to be honest, but I'm really liking it. And the best part? Within 24 hours, it's ready for the market. Yes, it will benefit from some sequestering (equivalent to the curing of bar soap); my first market isn't for another couple of weeks. 

Now I just need to figure out a name for it.

Let's Talk Body Butter

 You know, whenever I see a headline that starts with "Let's Talk...", my first thought is let's not. In this case, though, it's not a bad thing. 

Body Butters are one of those items I have a love/hate relationship with. So often, when I  make them, they end up too hard. They're fine when they're applied but I don't like that hard texture, having to dig it out of a tub. When they're like that, I'd rather use a lotion or rich cream that I can easily scoop out of a tub.

I'm lucky enough to work with a woman who prefers body butter to lotions and has used a lot of them over the years. If anyone knows anything about body butter, and what they should be like, it's her. I've been working with her to find the "perfect" body butter texture and I've finally come up with a recipe that meets her high standards! That's exciting!

One of the things I've learned is that the hard oil to soft oil ratio is important. I've tried recipes that are 60/40 hard to soft and they end up being too hard. They might be fine in warmer months but we're heading towards winter and the final butter is just too hard. I've tried recipes that are closer to 50/50 and those end up being much more along the lines of what I've been looking for.

As lovely (and edible) as this looks, it ended up being too hard and didn't apply as smoothly as I was hoping it would. Even though it's useable, I consider this a fail.

The final thing that gave me the texture I was looking for was the addition of some Arrowroot powder. It took that skin feel over the top! I'll be putting it in all my body butters from here on in.

And then there's this one... close to 50/50 solid oils to liquid oils, with the addition of Arrowroot powder. This one is like putting your finger into buttercream frosting and applies like liquid silk, melting on contact and soaking in quickly, leaving skin moisturized but not oily. Heavenly!

I don't think I'll be offering body butter all year round; summers around here just get too hot for them. However, when fall and winter roll around, I think body butters are the perfect offering. And, seriously, a little goes a long way. Seriously!

Here's a short video showint the difference in the texture of the two butters. The second one is just so much more appealing. 

I've made a small batch for my next market (Oct. 30), inspired by autumn. One of the oils I used is Pumpkin Seed oil; the butter has been coloured with a combination of Sea Buckthorn oil and a bit of orange mica and it's scented with a beautiful soft fragrance called Autumn Walk. The manufacturer's description is as follows: This delightful fragance perfectly captures the essence of Fall. The scents of brisk air and crisp leaves join woody notes of rich mountain pine, cedar, and golden aspen while whiffs of forest berries, sage, and clove swirl delicately in the backdrop.